Moments In My Life

Friday, December 18, 2015

I was invited for a food tasting session at Sunrise Bistro & Bar at Big Splash, East Coast Park and was a little hesitant to go at first. You see, I'm currently pregnant and in my first trimester. And this pregnancy is more difficult than my previous one. I have been puking and feeling nauseous on most days and the idea of eating doesn't really entice me right now. Somehow, I discovered that I can stomach more if the cooking is great. So, I decided to give this food tasting session a go. Afterall, the restaurant is helmed by Chef Vincent Teng who has 22 years experience with The Dining Room, Table 66, Skyve & The scarlet Hotel.

Sunrise Bistro & Bar has a rather casual layout, giving it a relaxed, by the beach feel. The decor was minimal and kept simple. We were served the Festive Communal Dining Set specially put together by Chef Vincent for Christmas 2015.

When I saw the oysters and sashimi, I was like. "Oh man, I cannot have these... Oh well." Hubby tried the oyster first and he egged me on to try it. Yes, my hubby is THAT chill about both my pregnancies. Only after finding out that these Australian Coffin Bay Oysters were freshly delivered on that day itself did I eat one. And it was mind blowing. Yes, it felt just like that to me. The oyster was slightly creamy and not briny. The flesh wasn't that creamy until I wouldn't be able to take more than a few. For this one, I can imagine wolfing down 10 or so easily. It was easy on the palate and really tantalizing. I was surprised I didn't feel queasy eating raw oysters despite my terrible morning sickness. In fact, it left me wanting more. The Australian Blue Mussels are also worth raving about. It was fresh and not powdery nor tough. They went really well with the Roasted Tomato Dip that came along with the platter. The rest of the seafood were fresh too but these 2 were my favourites. I definitely won't mind going back for more oysters after giving birth. :P~~

The next dish took quite a while to be served. The Orange Cointreau Fizz ($28+++) helped and hubby was telling me he liked it more than the usual Cointreau drinks.

I reached for the beef first and oh mine, it was so succulent and tender! It was infused with flavours... Chef Vincent specialises in Sous Vide style of cooking and his skills really showed up with this course. The pork belly was equally delicious with a superbly done skin that was crackling as I bit into it. The red snapper was meant to be paired with he Pineapple salsa but I find that it went very well with the delightful Homemade Apple & Smoked Tomato Ketchup. This sauce tasted somewhat like sambal instead and has an Asian twist to it. The taste was pretty unique and intriguing.

While waiting for the extra dish to be served, the guys at the table mentioned that they would have preferred if the whole platter consisted of meat that were more Western style instead of having the fish which made it somewhat Asian. I felt differently though. The fish was light and balanced off the meat platter for me. I guess the guys just can never get enough of meat. :P

Asian Five Spice Duck Leg Confit ($28++) was next and this is not part of the Festive Communal Dining Set. It is Sunrise Bistro & Bar's signature dish and Chef Vincent wanted us to have a try. I am not a fan of Duck Confit but I can see why this is their signature dish. The meat was really tender and juicy, unlike most duck confits that are usually a little drier. Of course, this was cooked using the Sous Vide technique too for 8 hours and that's how the juice gets retained in the meat, giving it its softness. It went well with the passionfruit sauce served with pomegranate and Mandarin orange. I would have liked this dish better if there was more of the passionfruit sauce or if the taste of the Asian Five Spice was stronger.

By then, all 4 of us at the table had our fill already and were ready for the exciting dessert, Salted Egg Yolk & White Chocolate Fondue.

The fondue came with with Banana, Strawberry, Marshmallow, Panettone & Cookies. And the salted egg chocolate went surprisingly well with all these, except for the banana, which tasted kinda weird to me. I am not one with a sweet tooth so this dessert had the right pairing of savoury and sweet flavour for me. As the chocolate fondue got heated up, it didn't get sweeter as it thickened, so yeah!

The whole dining experience was lovely. The food was great and well done. The portion sans the Duck Confit & Orange Cointreau Fizz, was surprisingly sufficient for 2-3 pax . In fact, I would think that it's a little filling for 2 pax. With the fantastic seafood platter, I find the set at $99++ really worth it. It's really good food with a price that's easy on your pocket. With the communal set, it'll be a great way to share a good meal while catching up with your loved ones this holiday season!

For those who enjoy Asian cooking with a French flair, Sunrise Bistro & Bar is really worth a try this festive season!

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

I've been missing in action. Taking really long to reply all of you who have written to me because I was so caught up the last 2 months of so with my life. Yes, a momentous period in my life, that's why. It was my transition to a Mrs.

Our Humorous Solemnizer, My Alex Tan Boon Yan

Well well, I didn't turn out to be the bride-zilla that some thought I'd be. Tsk! In fact, I enjoyed the whole wedding planning down to the day itself. It was beautiful holding our wedding at Halia Restaurant, Raffles Hotel. I've always wanted a simple wedding with elegance. No change of dress, just 1 Made To Measure Gown in, no cheesy music march-in and a cozy affair with closed ones. And I've never thought I'll freak out or turn into a demanding monster on my wedding day. Like I told my hubby, I am "Little Mis-understood". : :D

I didn't, however, expect to enjoy myself this much. It as a beautiful day to me. I shall let the pictures speak for themselves.

I have been asked several times how my life has changed after getting married. Well, day to day, it hasn't. The transition when we first stayed together was greater than formalizing our marriage. Still, I love being married. It brings along a settled feeling and a sense of commitment that I've never felt in my previous relationships. One that publicly announces and signifies you're in this for the long haul and a reminder of the decision we've made.

Yet another FAQ was how did my wedding day go and how best to keep calm. This special day was made more heartwarming by the love I felt from my family and friends, in whatever way it was expressed. There may be some who will become the monster-zilla instead so it's important to remind yourself that THIS IS your day and allow no one to take your joy away from you.

Completed Artwork From The Combined Effort of Our Guest On Our Wall

**A special thanks also to the people below who are passionate & excellent in their works!**

-Blessed-i Photography Yeow Ming, who captured so many beautiful Actual Day "in the moment" pictures. He was jovial and was always non-intrusively snapping away.

-Chris, my wonderful make up artist who gave me so many gorgeous hairdo for my hard to style short hair & non-traditional make up on my actual wedding night. I absolutely love my smokey eyes and drama look that night.

-Vanness from Digio Bridal who snapped so many beautiful pre-wedding pictures of us. He is so experienced and made the whole shooting process fast and fun!

Thursday, August 22, 2013

And so my vain pot urges took over 2 weeks before my wedding photo shoot. I grabbed 3 packs for DHC Collagen 7000mg drinks from Watson's at a total of less than 100SGD and beamed away at my good buy.

I tested 1 bottle for allergy reaction before bedtime and it seeemed alright. I then put them aside to drink 2 weeks before my wedding photo shoot. The only discomfort I felt was the thirst the morning after drinking it. Even this didn't deter me as I was so looking forward to filling up my skin with more collagen. :P

DHC Collagen Drink tastes better chilled than in room temperature. It is much less sour when chilled. Also, when compared to Fancl Tense Up, it is sweeter and has a very lovely fragrance when the bottle cap is removed.

4 days into drinking this collagen drink, I got a tiny bump on my right cheek and I hardly ever get pimples or bumps on my cheeks. I thought it was a pimple and went to my facial lady but was told that it is the precursor of pimple. Hhhhm...

Anyway, my thirst went on and I never drank so much water in half a week before. It's like a constantly-on-the-verge-of-having-sore-throat feeling.

See, So Sad...

Yet at the same time, I felt that my skin was smoother when I put on make up. It seemed like it, at least.

And into my 5th day, I noticed more bumps in the mirror under the sunlight! Argh!!! I am going to stop taking DHC Collagen Drink.

It's not working for me. I'm letting my mum try it instead, maybe it'll add some glow for her. Hehe...

Well, I'm glad I tried it before my photo shoot and not before my actual day wedding. Oh well, this product doesn't work for me. And my skin isn't usually that kind that reacts to new products in a negative way. This one just works in a bad way. Boo...

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

The first thing I did this morning after getting my coffee is to shop away! Online, that is. Redmart.com supermarket shopping for pasta coking this weekend. Even before I got my own place, I've always relish the thought of online grocery shopping. So, within the first 2 weeks of getting my keys, I've already given Redmart.com a try.

Secure Packaging

What a treat for my miserly arm muscles!

It used to be free delivery for purchases of $79 and above but there's a current promotion that delivers for free with every $49 and above spent. Valid until 31 August 2013 only.

Of course, I jumped at the chance and ordered 2 more rounds. Haha..

What's more, enter the promotional code of likeredmart and get to enjoy additional 10% of your purchase and this 10% applies to even items already on sale!

You'll get to select your preferred delivery dates and the next day slot is usually available.

Payment is also a breeze with online credit card option, credit card upon delivery or through Paypal and you're done! Easy peasey and hassle free.

The past 3 deliveries were pleasant and on time. Once, the deliveryman was running 10 mins late and he called me on my mobile hone to inform me beforehand. This is what I call good service! Redmart's pricing is like other supermarkets. Some thing are more expensive, and some are cheaper, especially those on sale.

I'm so glad that grocery shopping is made so much easier these days with online shopping. I'll no longer need to lug heavy household items, especially detergent, rice, oil and such. I'm loving it and getting hooked!

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

So, I have been furniture hunting. Fiance and I started out agreeing that we do not want the modern and contemporary kind of look that feels cold to us. We both love wood, he is more of a retro and vintage guy who loves the curves of things. "Sexy", he would call it. :P As for me, I am more of a traditional person who love warm furniture like wood and fabric. It was a breeze agreeing on what would go into our new house. We both dislike metal and glass so material was readily agreed upon.

Since we have been spending so much time going around searching for our ideal pieces, I thought I'll share where to get some of the mid century, vintage and wood pieces that we've came across.

Furniture pieces that caught our eyes were mainly mid century pieces like the following:

Grant Featherston Contour Lounge Chair

The first piece of furniture that caught my eye even before we got the keys to our place. The sky blue colour is just so cute!

Jeremy Pyles Glass Lights

Ok, so these lights aren't exactly mid century pieces but they do give off the vibe, yah?

So, you get the idea on the pieces that move our hearts. Here's a list of the places we went to and a brief review for each one.

.WOODY WOODY, ALL THINGS WOODY & LOVELY.

1. Journey East

315 Outram Road, #03-02 Tan Boon Liat Building S(169074),

Tel: 6473 1693

Journey East at Tan Boon Liat Building has a collection of refurbished vintage pieces and also new teak furniture which are more rugged looking. The pricing is reasonable and the pieces are cute. They remind me of my grandparents' homes. An era long bygone, our childhood past.

We got this 1950's teak dining table from Central Java. The legs show Scandinavian influences, probably by the Dutch.

Pieces here seem to be more from Asia due to the material, teak. I'm not sure whether they have pieces from Europe. Anyway, when there, you can help yourself to the coffee and drink by the counter and speak with the friendly people from Journey East to find out more.

2. Mountain Teak

315 Outram Road, #07-02 Tan Boon Liat Building S(169074),

Tel: 6244 7176

In the same building, there's another teak shop called Mountain Teak on the 7th floor. As the name suggests, it's mainly teak pieces in there. New pieces, not pre-owned ones. Pricing is also reasonable and there's many simple and classic pieces available.

This is one cool bookshelf that we're drooling at.

3. Originals

896 Dunearn Road, #02-03 Sime Darby Centre S(598472),

Tel: 6471 9918

We also traveled all the way to the West to take a look at Originals. The wood furniture here has a more modern feel. Many are also in the distressed wood style. Sturdy and good quality pieces but pricing is on the high side for us.

4. Like That One

2, Bukit Batok Street 24, #01-02 Skytech S(659480),

Tel: 6560 9168

Even further westward was a charming shop called Like That One. You won't miss it as you drive in with its brightly lit signage. A great place to hunt for vintage accessories and small pieces to pull the look together. In addition to wood pieces, they have many interesting mid century industrial furniture too. Pricing may be a tad higher than what we were prepared to fork out but they do have a few snazzy pieces that may tempt you. All pieces are refurbished and pre-loved. By the way, they also serve great coffee.

It was here that we fell in love with an extravagant piece. Our 1960's Maple Wood Mobile Bar retrieved from the UK. It is now serving a dual function as our console table and mobile bar to make our money's worth. Hehe...

Isn't it a cute, gorgeous piece? It's real cool with secret compartments that made us swooned. The wood grain is oh so pretty. It's my favourite piece at home now!

5. Franc Franc

1 Habourfront Walk, #02-41/42, VivoCity S(098585)

Tel: 6376 8077

And there's the store that many knows about in VivoCity, Franc Franc. It is a Japanese store and I only found out when I decided to buy 2 pieces of Ashwood furniture there. Most pieces are interesting, cute and contemporary. With a burst of colours there, you can easily pick out something that'll add a splash of brightness to your home. Service is good and pricing is reasonable when they have sale. :P

Most pieces are made of MDF but there are some others that are a few made of solid wood.

We wanted the TV console in lighter wood and Franc Franc ordered it al the way from Japan for us. Check this place out if you're looking for fun pieces with clean lines.

6. Restore Living

124 Tanjong Pagar Road S(088533)

Tel: 6222 3105

For small vintage pieces like chairs, stools and coffee table pieces, you may want to check out Restore Living. I find this store more of a place to go if you want to get that 1 interesting piece of chair. They do a lot of refurbishing of old furniture. And the items available here have a pretty local feel to them. It is also a cafe by the way.

7. Commune/Koda

9 Raffles Boulevard #02-51/52 Millenia Walk S(039596)

Tel: 6338 3823

Another great place with contemporary wood pieces is Commune at Millenia Walk. Delivery is prompt and service is good. the delivery guys even have feedback forms for customers to fill in! I find the furniture there easy to match and very likable. Too bad the extendable dining table we wanted in walnut colour was made of veneer. Hence, we settled for the sofa only.

Of course, there are many more shops that we didn't have the time to visit even though we shortlisted them. Some just weren't suitable.

Air Division- Looks nice on website but didn't manage to find time to make it there too.

Barossa Furnishing - Didn't manage to travel to Woodlands for a visit for teak dining table. Read that the furniture are solid and of good quality.

For my Grant Featherston chair hunt, we went to quite a few shops. It was a pretty tiring hunt where I was about to give up. Mainly because most of the shops in Singapore use wool or wool blended material for the chairs. Fiance and I definitely do not want to sweat in our lounge chair so we went on and on asking about colours and material. We were insistent in getting a blue lounge chair.

In the end, I resorted to calling the shops and asking about the material and pricing before heading to the store to take a look.

.DESIGNER CHAIRS THAT MAKE US GO OOH-LA-LA.

1. Comfort Furniture

10 Eunos Ave 7, Comfort Design Building, S(409573)

Tel: 6747 4809

Comfort furniture has 2 storeys of furniture and numerous designer inspired pieces. This is the shop where we finally found the right material for our armchair. Sadly though, they didn't have it in the cute sky blue we wanted so we ended up with a darker shade of blue.

We choose the 2nd blue from the bottom. Didn't want our chair to have the faded look so we kept to a brighter blue. I think the chair is slightly smaller than the original design but we're cool with it. It also has the best pricing among all the shops we went to.

The best thing about this place is that the material are more suitable for Singapore's warm and humid weather and they have a wide variety of products to choose from.

2. Lush Lush

73 Upper Paya Lebar Road, Centro Bianco, #03-01, S(534818)

Tel: 6858 5882

Lush Lush had the chair we wanted and many more other designer inspired chairs. But the Grant Featherston chair only comes in the hot wool material. We were willing to buy from here if we couldn't get the piece we wanted in mind. They also have many contemporary and lively art pieces.

3. Standard of Living

34, Khandahar street, S(198892)

Tel: 6298 2349

Standard of Living may be a small shop but it carries a wide range of fabric. I was shown several plain and print fabrics and had the option to choose from polyester, nylon etc. This may be the ideal shop if you want a upholstery that is unique and not so commonly found. Their selection is indeed wide.

The journey of home building for me is not over yet. It's exciting to hunt for the ideal furniture. And even more exciting when you discover a gem that is pre-loved. I find myself wondering about its history. Vintage furniture has a mysterious charm to them, don't ya think?

Anyway, I hope my feedback has helped and do share more in the comment box below.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

It's hard to find a nice men genuine leather messenger bag in Singapore that doesn't make you feel like you're paying through your nose. And it's even harder to find is one that is well built, looks rugged with a raw finish that cost below 500SGD. I couldn't even find anything I like at this budget.

I have cracked my head for more than half a year before I realised I have yet to explore my online options. Somehow somewhere, Vagabond Traveler caught my eyes on ebay.com. Good reviews were posted on other sites and replies were prompt from the seller.

I decided to go ahead since it'll only cost be less than half the price (inclusive of shipment) of what I was prepared to pay. I opted for Fedex shipment tracking since Vagabond Traveler ships by Fedex.

And eagerly waited....

And got impatient at times...

When it finally arrived in about 2 week's time!!!

It was neatly packed into a flat box.

Ta-da!!! The bag I hunted for so long in the rugged leather finish I wanted.

It is made of oil tanned leather and is in freedom style.

Vagabond Traveler even packed a holder along with it to make it more presentable for gift giving.

Am I a satisfied online shopper of Vagabond Traveler? Yes, I am. At a fraction of the price in Singapore, I am getting a quality product made of genuine leather.

Vagabond Traveler even packed a holder along with it to make it more presentable for gift giving.

The only drawback? My fiance's light coloured pants get chocolate stains when he uses it. At first, we were perplexed and thought the stains came about from his greed in chomping on chocolate bars. Later on, he figured that bag rubs off brown stains on light coloured pants.

We were told that since this is an oil tanned leather that was tanned with colour and wax in raw leather finish, we would have to wait it out for the bag to stop bleaching eventually... :( For now, my fiance just keep to dark coloured pants.

If you intend to purchase from Vagabond Traveler, it may be worthwhile to note that it's cheaper to buy directly from their website instead of from ebay.com or amazon.com.